The iconic actor’s involvement will be seen as a coup for studio Sony as Murray, who starred as eccentric parapsychologist Dr Peter Venkman in 1984’s Ghostbusters, had previously been against a return to the supernatural saga. The comic told US talk show host David Letterman in 2012 that the critical failure of 1989’s Ghostbusters II had convinced him to steer clear of future instalments, and indicated the script he had seen for a proposed followup was weak.

Murray will be joined on screen by Dan Aykroyd, who starred as Ray Stantz. The third surviving member of the original Ghostbusters team, Ernie Hudson (Winston Zeddemore) is not expected to return after initially dismissing the idea of an all-female cast as a “bad idea” (though he later backtracked). Harold Ramis, who played Egon Spengler, died in February 2014.

The new Ghostbusters movie, which is currently shooting, is due for release on 15 July next year.